Farmworker Smoke Protection Act of 2019

Farmworker Smoke Protection Act of 2019

This bill requires the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to address the exposure of farmworkers to wildfire smoke.

Specifically, the bill establishes an initial occupational safety and health standard to protect farmworkers from wildfire smoke. The initial standard must require employers to provide farmworkers with (1) appropriate equipment (e.g., N95 mask or N100 masks) to protect them when they are exposed to wildfire smoke that reaches a certain level of air pollution, and (2) training and education materials about how to use the equipment and the potential health impacts of breathing smoke without protective equipment.  Under the standard, workers are required to use the equipment when the air pollution reaches a specified level.

OSHA must promulgate an occupational safety and health standard that provides at least the same level of protection as the initial standard.

Upon request, OSHA must provide technical assistance to employers on how to comply with the standards. OSHA must also develop sample training and education materials that may be used by employers.